| Vexillology of Croatia |
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| Proportion: 1:2 Adopted: 21 December 1990 First Flown: ca. 1848 Use: The flag of Croatia is an example of a Slavic flag consisting of the Pan-Slavic colors of white, blue, and red. For examples of other Slavic flags, see those of Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia, or Serbia. |
| Croatian Coat-of-Arms |
| Croatia |
| Long Form of Country Name: Republic of Croatia (Republika Hrvatska) Short Form of Country Name: Croatia (Hrvatska) Form of State: A republic consisting of 20 counties (županija) and the capital city of Zagreb; headed by a president popularly elected to 5-year terms (with one succession if re-elected). Form of Government: Parliamentary democracy with legislative authority vested in a unicameral legislature (Sabor) consisting of not more than 160 representatives popularly elected to 4-year terms. The executive authority of government rests in a Council of Ministers headed by a Prime Minister appointed by the President on the advice of the Sabor from among the leadership of the majority party or coalition following parliamentary elections. Independence: 25 June 1991 from Yugoslavia Capital: Zagreb Major National Groups: Predominantly Croats, with a sizable minority of Serbs; smaller communities of Bosnians, Hungarians, Czechs, and Slovenians. |
| Provincial Flags of Croatia's Counties |
| 1. Bjelovar-Bilogora 2. Brod-Posavina 3. Dubrovnik-Neretva 4. Istria 5. Karlovac 6. Koprivnica-Križevci 7. Krapina-Zagorje 8. Lika-Senj 9. Medimurje 10. Osijek-Baranja 11. Požega-Slavonia |
| 12. Primorje-Gorski Kotar 13. Šibenik-Knin 14. Sisak-Moslavina 15. Split-Dalmatia 16. Varaždin 17. Virovitica-Podravina 18. Vukovar-Srijem 19. Zadar 20. Zagreb, County of 21. Zagreb, City of |
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| Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| Slovenia |
| Hungary |
| Monte- negro |
| Adriatic Sea |
| Italy |
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| Croatian Naval Ensign |
| Croatian Civil Ensign |
| Flag of Croatia - 1918 |
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| Flag of Croatia - 1941 |
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| Flag of Croatia - 1944 |
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| Flag of the Yugoslav Republic of Croatia |
| Subnational Flags of Croatia |
| Typically Slavic, the Croatian colors of red, white, and blue have local origins. The red and white come fromt he chequered red and white coat-of-arms of Croatia while the blue comes from the heradric traditions of Dalmatia, the coastal region of the country. The blue also represents Slavonia, a part of croatia that is just south of Hungary and north of Bosnia-Herzogovina. The three colors were first arranged in a tri-colour fashion in 1848, heavily influenced by the revolutionary movements prevalent in Europe during that time. In 1918, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire was dissolved following World War I, the newly independent Kingdom of Yugoslavia adopted the Croatian flag and hoisted it without the chequered Hapsburg heradric arms. The arms were returned to the flag during World War II when Croatia became independent. However, to the flag was also added the fascist symbol of the Ustaše, the letter U emblazoned in the upper hoistcorner of the flag. By adding this symbol, the Croats were symbolizing that they were under the protectin of the Axis powers dominated by the Nazis. Eventually, however, the Nazis lost control of the Balkans and Croatia was liberated by the Russians. Immediately, a communist state was erected and to the flag was added the communist red star in 1944. The communist state was absorbed into the new communist Yugoslav Federation.as the Socialist Republic of Croatia. Its flag was very much like the federal flag, which reversed the order of the tri-colors. The Yugoslav communist red star dominated this flag from 1947 until 1990 when the Yugoslav Federation began to dissolve into history. The first post-Yugoslav Croatian flag displayed the simple red/white chequered arms. This was the flag that was hoisted immediately upon independence in 1990. By December 1990, however, the Croatian parliament added the five crowning badges to the crest to represent the five regions of Croatia. They are, from left to right, Zagreb, Dubrovnic, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia. |
| Historicall Flags of Croatia |
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| Return to the European Vexillogram Directory
© 2007 SouthBear This page was created on 20 October 2007 Date of Last Revision: 20 October 2007 Animated flagpole: www.fg-a.com |
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